Path of Transcendence 1: Ultimatum of the Nameless God

by Brian McGoldrick

  Nearly a hundred DokkAlfar were formed up in ranks near the front of the platform. In the center, a small group of the DokkAlfar were dressed in robes instead of armor. Toward the back of the platform, three obsidian golems stood still as statues: one to either side of the door and one around fifty feet in front of it.

  The leaders of the three parties to the left of the Bohemian Cats, all small guilds like the Cats, walked over to confer with the Lord of Jet and the Lady of Gold. Talon had moved seventy or eighty yards out in front of the rest of the Damned. One of the guild leaders, Deathmeister, stared at Talon, but the other two only glanced at him momentarily.

  Deathmeister's guild was Roving Massacre, a small but elitist raiding guild, when Taereun: Battleground of the Damned was just a game. Even after the game became a reality, they spent most of their time in the hinterlands of the Lands of Despair, instead of searching for the path to Haven. They had a reputation for hunting down rare demons and other powerful monsters. Even though there had never been a way to open stat windows, the players, when it was still a game, had found or invented spells that would determine the general properties and strengths of gear. Roving Massacre was reputed to have some of the strongest gear of anyone.

  “Jet, how the hell did you ever get a freak like that Talon to join your guild for this raid? Fuck, why did you even do it?” Deathmeister's voice sounded somewhere between amazed and incredulous, with a solid dose of hate.

  The Lord of Jet took off his helm, revealing a face so handsome that it could be called beautiful. His features were a slightly more masculine version of the Lady of Gold's. The two LjosAlfar had been twin brother and sister, before the Great Fuck Over left them host to minds and of souls of two of the Damned. Now, it was rumored that the two Damned were continuing their sexual relationship from outside the game in the bodies of the twins. Selestra knew the truth of it, that the rumors were completely accurate.

  “Come on, Death. You should know that my guild gets around. Even if aren't a raiding guild, we still know more people and guilds than any three raiding guilds combined.” The Lord of Jet sounded boastful.

  “Everybody wants to get to know the beautiful people, just like in the real world.” Thorrin was a Dvergar, an incredibly skilled Smith as well as powerful warrior adept. Dvergar are not attractive by human standards, but he was not as ugly as Talon.

  “That guy doesn't give a damn about looks, power, prestige, or anything else. He's been an absolute psychotic monster, since I first saw him.” Deathmeister's eyes were still fixed on Talon's brooding back.

  “What's so special about him? I mean, yeah, he's a big-ass Dvergar, but what's the big deal?” Kamehameaha had been fairly new to the game at the time of the Great Fuck Over, like all of his guild, the Dragonball Warriors. The other people present thought he was probably a kid, just barely old enough to get a subscription when he started. Even after spending nearly twelve years trapped in the game, he still acted like a punk teenager with an attitude and a mountain on shoulder.

  “Kid, that's Talon. He's probably the best tank there is, and he's definitely the most dangerous person you've ever seen, no matter what anyone else might claim.” Thorrin's voice was filled with something close to respect, and odd thing to hear from the taciturn Dvergar.

  “Don't call me kid. Frigging dwarf.”

  “Better watch you mouth, kid. Thorrin's sent more retards for an economy tour of the Land of the Dead than you could count without running out of fingers and toes. Since you can't count any higher without them, well . . . ” Deathmeister's smile was mocking, but his eyes promised violence. He was known for losing control in battle and going on bloody rampages.

  “Looks like the Thugtards won't be joining the party. The assholes can't get their shit together and make a real push.”

  The guttural bass voice startled the guild leaders. For all his massive size, Talon's movements were so silent that none of them had noticed his approach. Only Selestra, standing off to the side of the conference, had been paying attention to him. The corners of her lips turned down in a bitter frown, when the Lord of Jet jumped slightly.

  “Damn, you're still too quiet. You're more like a damned ghost than a mountain of muscle.” Deathmeister's smile was a hostile challenge. There was neither friendship nor respect lost between the two of them.

  “You can go back to licking Menton's ass-crack again. Maybe that will get them in gear.” Talon's flat tone of voice sounded more bored than anything.

  Selestra moved back rapidly. She knew Talon well enough to know that he was nowhere near as calm as he sounded. The bored expression, with his eyes half-lidded, was a sure danger sign that he would attack any second. When the Lady of Gold looked in her direction, she motioned for the other girl to move away.

  *Get out of there! Talon's ready to take him apart!*

  The Lady of Gold smiled and approached Deathmeister. Leaning her body against his, she wrapped her arms around his neck. A charm hanging form a chain around her neck glowed faintly, and she stepped back. It was another invention of the players, using the same base magic as the guild bracelets. The whisper charm allowed one player to speak with any other player, whose identity had been added to the charm.

  The Lady of Gold's “whispered” words caused a flash of anger to cross Deathmeister's face, before he nodded. After stepping backwards without letting Talon out of his line of sight, Deathmeister moved off to the side with her.

  Talon stared at them with narrowed eyes, while Thorrin watched Talon from the corner of his eye. No one said anything for a few minutes, while a brittle tension filled the air. Talon's reputation was as bad as Thug Horde's, everyone was afraid of what he might do. When Deathmeister and The Lady of Gold both smiled, Talon's face turned into a blank mask.

  Deathmeister and The Lady of Gold returned to the group side by side, with Deathmeister grinning like a Cheshire Cat. “The Lady is right. This isn't the time to be fighting with other Damned, even you. We have to hurry or we won't finish this battle.”

  Deathmeister turned back toward Talon with the grin on his face and extended his hand. “Let's work together. We can settle our differences another time.”

  Talon did not take the offered hand. “You were scum when you were in Thug Horde, and your scum now. Let's get this over with before the stench makes me puke.”

  Deathmeister's face turned purple, with the veins popping out at his temples. “You bastard!”

  Talon's smile was mocking, as he silently stared at the enraged guild leader.

  “Are we just going to stand here, until the DokkAlfar realize we've broken through the orcs?” Selestra's tremulous voice was barely audible over the sounds of battle.

  “What's the plan? How do we deal with all those DokkAlfar and the guardians?” Thorrin's gruff voiced statement, refocused everyone's attention on something other than Talon and Deathmeister's mutual dislike.

  Talon snorted and turned so that Deathmeister was not in his direct line of vision. His deep voice was as flat as his expression. “Draw the DokkAlfar's attention, and a small group can kill them and the obsidian golems. Thee golems are probably the real guardians. If we don't do this soon, we'll probably be pushed back out of this cavern again. There are still more orcs pushing in from that tunnel where the left wing is being tied down.”

  This isn't good. He's still ready to explode. Selestra looked around nervously. In the real world, Talon was tough, and in the game he had been a monster. She did not know what he was now, and she could not help but be scared with Talon as irritated as he was.

  “By a small group, you mean you with some of us supporting you?” Deathmeister's anger was easy to hear in his voice.

  “Can you handle the DokkAlfar and the three golems at once?”

  “Our main tank is better geared than you are! He has the best defensive gear we've found. You're only wearing rags, and ratty hides!” Deathmeister's anger was turning back into fury.

  “Take them if you want them that bad. I don't ca
re if you die. It'll be good for a few laughs, if nothing else.” There was no anger or any other emotion in Talon's voice. The lack of emotion was more threatening than a burning rage.

  Caught between rage, hate and fear, Deathmeister stared at Talon. The two Damned had a long unpleasant history, with Deathmeister always coming out the loser in the end. If they fought now, Deathmeister would probably die for real, but this time he was intending to win. He forced himself to calm down. He had already made the deal with the Lady of Gold. Talon would die fighting the golems.

  “Fine. You and the Bohemian Cats take the DokkAlfar and the golems. We'll roll up the orc flank, with the rest of the guilds.”

  Talon turned to the Lady of Gold. “Have your casters conceal your guild with magic. We'll move along the back wall and wait at the base of the stairs for the DokkAlfar in the gate area to be engaged.”

  The Bohemian Cats waited with Talon in the shadows at the base of the back wall of the cavern, while the other guilds began a distraction. Plowing into the exposed flank of the orc lines, the right wing began rolling up the orc's left flank. Freed from the pressure of the orc warriors, more Damned began to circle around and assault the orc's rear.

  It was less than ten minutes, before the DokkAlfar leader noticed that the orcs and monsters on his left flank were collapsing. After the leader gave orders to his subordinates, over eighty of the DokkAlfar engaged in battle with the Damned.

  Talon waited another five minutes, to make sure that DokkAlfar would not be able to easily break away, before moving in the direction of the gate.

  *Hey there are still ten DokkAlfar up there. You don't intend to attack the golems and the DokkAlfar at once, do you?* The Lady of Gold's nervous question was made in the chat room created by the party spell.

  *We're not going to get a better opportunity. We're still outnumbered almost 10 to 1. The DokkAlfar can still stop the flank from collapsing. We attack the DokkAlfar first, and if the golems join in, I'll keep them busy while your guild finishes the DokkAlfar. I will murder the DokkAlfar leader. The confusion will allow the rest of you to approach and engage them.* There was no more emotion in Talon's voice, than if he were talking about the weather.

  None of the DokkAlfar on the terrace noticed the approaching Bohemian Cats. Once the guild was hiding behind the strange objects on the terrace, Talon disappeared into a shadow.

  *He's gone!? How did he do that?* The Lord of Jet used the guild bracelet, so that Talon would not hear him. *Okay everyone, once the golems are ready to go down, stop helping Talon. We have a deal with Deathmeister. We're going to let him die.*

  *Huh? Let him die?*

  *What do you mean Jet?*

  *Why are we letting him die?*

  *QUIET!* The startled queries came from the guild members, so rapidly that they were little more than white noise. The Lord of Jet had to scream to be heard over the ruckus.

  He waited for them to settle down, before continuing. *We have a deal with Deathmeister. We're going to get some high quality gear, and we're going to form a joint raiding force with them in the new zone. Who knows how much longer we'll be trapped here, it could still be years. This is our chance to break into the big leagues. We're not that much smaller than Roving Massacre. So, there's no reason we can't be a top tier guild, just like they are. We'll have a better chance of surviving and recruiting new members, who we can use to take the brunt of the damage.*

  *Yeah, that's not a bad idea. I guess.*

  *Talon's not one of us.*

  *Listening to those old geezers that played those old timer games like Ultima and Eve, people have always been fucking each other in MMOs. Well, I guess this isn't an MMO, and we can really die here.*

  *Yeah. Even if he's good, he's a real asshole too!*

  The general consensus was that it would be okay, since Talon was not one of them. Selestra was one of only two who did not voice their approval. She was afraid of what could happen, if Talon realized what was happening before he died. He was angry and bitter in the real world. She had overheard some of his conversations with her father, and knew that Talon had used to the game to work off his anger. She did not think he would hesitate for a second before killing them all. Maybe not her, Talon felt he had a large debt to her father.

  She moved over to the Lady of Gold, and used a whisper charm so she could talk without the rest of the guild overhearing. She used the Lady of Gold's real name, so that the guild leader would understand how serious she was. *Jenny, this isn't a good idea. All of the bad stories about Talon and his persecution of players and guilds are kind of true. He's mean and nasty and went out of his way to hurt people in the game. He probably did it so he doesn't blow up and hurt someone in real life, but there is nothing to hold him back in this situation.*

  The Lady of Gold frowned. *Who is he, Mei? Why are you so afraid of him?*

  Selestra looked down, fidgeting. *I'm sorry. I can't tell you. You know what my father is like, right?*

  *He reminds of one of those samurai lords in an old Kurosawa film. I don't think he's ever approved of anything American as long as I've known him.* The Lady of Gold smiled.

  *Dad has known Talon, as long as I have. He respects Talon's fighting ability in the real world. I think he even respects Talon.* Selestra sounded sullen and peevish.

  The Lady of Gold's eyes opened wide. Selestra's father was a Japanese executive in charge of the a company with very large secretive contracts with multiple national governments. He ran a martial arts school on the side, a school that was basically illegal because of the nature of the martial arts taught. The Lady of Gold did not really know or care about crude things like martial arts, but she did know that the only reason his school was allowed to continue was because of his ties with the Japanese and American governments.

  *You don't like him, though. Right? This will be your chance to get back at him for whatever he did to you.*

  *I don't know.*

  *Don't worry. Everything will be fine. We just...* A scream of pain from the terrace interrupted their conversation.

  A head and robed body flew into the air in separate directions. The Bohemian Cats stared at the head that rolled across the terrace in front of them. The physical strength to tear the head off a body so easily was enough to send chills down their spines.

  There were a dozen seconds of silence from the terrace, before a pandemonium of screams and spells broke loose. The Bohemian Cats, startled from their fixation on the torn off head, looked across the terrace.

  “Cats, charge! Let's get those DokkAlfar bastards!” The Lord of Jet's shout was not particularly impressive, but still, audible over the background noise.

  Galvanized by their guild leaders shout, the Bohemian Cats charged from behind the metal and stone objects. They saw three corpses lying on ground, and the broad figure of Talon seeming to flicker in and out of sight as he moved among the remaining DokkAlfar. Launching a volley of spells, arrows and thrown weapons at the backs of the DokkAlfar, the Bohemian Cats moved to engage them.

  The fight lasted barely over a minute, before all the DokkAlfar were dead. The Bohemian Cats looked around, with slightly befuddled expressions on their faces.

  “Why didn't the golems attack?” Yoh was staring at the obsidian golems near the gate.

  “Don't you idiots get it?” Talon's tone voice was filled with pure scorn. “The DokkAlfar don't control this place. The world zones and the gates don't belong to them. It's something that they use, but they sure as hell don't own it.”

  Talon walked towards the obsidian golems at a relaxed pace, staring at the golem to the left of the gate. The Bohemian Cats watched in stunned silence, as he approached the fifteen foot tall constructs. The brutal fight with the DokkAlfar, as short as it was, had left Talon with a few minor injuries. It seemed like his wounds just made him hungrier for battle.

  The golems changed from statues to charging juggernauts, when Talon was twenty feet from the center one. He suddenly disappeared and reappeared in the sha
dow of the golem on the left side of the gate. His fists were covered in swirling mix of light and darkness, and every blow to the golem sent shards of obsidian flying. He kept circling the wildly spinning golem, to stay at its back. The other two golems turned around and started lumbering toward the Half-Dvergar.

  The Bohemian Cats watched the battle, not sure what to make of Talon's actions. When Taereun: Battleground of the Damned had been just a game, because of the difficulty of fighting out of the Land of the Dead and the expense of using resurrection magic, most players went out of their way to maintain at least somewhat of a safety buffer. Now with death being real, almost everyone still alive was cautious to the point of borderline cowardice, but Talon was fighting a battle with everything on the line. One mistake, and the golems would turn him into paste. Even with the danger, maybe because of it, a maniacal grin was plastered on his lips.

  *When he was talking with my father one time, that guy said the he kept the game's pain dampers at zero. He said that the pain made him more focused, because when he was injured, it felt more real, but he'll die for real, if those golems hit him. There's something wrong with his head.*

  *Hey, guys. You know he can't keep this up forever. One hit and he's dead. I don't want to sound like a wimp, but there's no way we can beat those things without him.* Yoh's voice was soft, almost like he was talking to himself.

  “Cat's it's our turn to be the heroes! Let's get those things!” The Lord of Jet's shout was not very forceful, but it was still loud enough to be heard by the Bohemian Cats.

  “BOOYAH!” One of them shouted and charged into the battle with the golems.

  The brutal fight was worse than anything the Bohemian Cats had ever faced, since the Great Fuck Over, and it certainly worse than anything in the game. Even with Yoh's wards, one hit from a golem was enough to leave them too badly injured to continue fighting. Three of the Bohemian Cats were hit, and Yoh's healing magic was barely enough to keep them alive. There was no way to heal the massive damage and get them back into the fight.